Zelensky accepts Trump and Putin's ceasefire on energy infrastructure

Moscow / WashingtonFollowing Wednesday's phone call with Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that he accepts the terms of the ceasefire that the American made a pact with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. "One of the first steps towards a complete end to the war could be to end attacks on energy and other civilian infrastructure. I have supported this step, and Ukraine has confirmed that we are ready to implement it," Zelensky wrote on the X platform.

The end of the bombings and the card of leaving the Ukrainians without electricity now that the cold is ending is less potent than in the middle of winter. In parallel, the White House has sent the statement with the details of the call between both presidents, where it is explained that Trump had suggested to Zelensky that the United States take ownership of Ukrainian electricity and nuclear plants.

"[Trump] stated that the United States could be of great help in the operation of these facilities thanks to its experience in electricity and public services. In addition, he suggested that American ownership of these plants would be the best protection for this infrastructure and a great support for Ukrainian energy," he added. During the visit of NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump had already raised the question of who would keep the "an affected power plant" in the ceasefire negotiations. The plant in question could be the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is located in Russian-occupied territory. It is one of the ten largest nuclear power plants in the world. Aside from Zaporizhia, Ukraine has three other nuclear power plants.

Zelensky called the call "substantial and frank" and reiterated that he believes that "with President Trump, and under American leadership, a lasting peace can be achieved this year." In addition to accepting the 30-day partial truce with Russia, Zelensky also recalled that the "American side also proposed an unconditional ceasefire on the front line, and Ukraine accepted it."

In its statement, the White House claims that the Ukrainian has requested "additional air defense systems," primarily "Patriot missiles." "President Trump has agreed to work with him to find whatever is available, especially in Europe," the text reads. The Americans will also continue sharing intelligence with Ukraine despite Putin's call to Trump to end all Western military aid in Kiev.

Trump had previously praised the hour-long call with Zelensky in a post on Truth Social. "Just completed a very good phone call with President Zelensky of Ukraine," the US president wrote, adding that much of the conversation was based on what was discussed yesterday with Putin "to align Russia and Ukraine in terms of their demands and needs." This is the first conversation between the two leaders since The US president booed the Ukrainian in the Oval Office. at the end of February. Unlike then, the magnate's conclusion was positive: "We're on the right track."

Talks in Saudi Arabia

Regarding new talks, Zelensky has assured that "the Ukrainian and American teams are prepared to meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to continue coordinating steps toward peace." The Russian and American delegations already have a date to meet again in the Middle East. It will be this Sunday, also in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. At this point, "technical" talks between Russia and the United States are underway to agree on a pause in attacks on the Black Sea. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated that a "total" ceasefire in Ukraine could be reached "within a couple of weeks."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has reported that the United States will continue to share intelligence with Ukraine. Although the Kremlin said yesterday, after the call between Putin and Trump, that halting this type of collaboration was necessary to "avoid an escalation."

Regarding the minerals agreement, Leavitt said the White House is already "beyond" the pact. The spokesperson did not provide further details on the status of the agreement, but ruled out that it is no longer on the table. She also pointed out that the Trump administration is now "focused on a long-term peace agreement."

Crossed accusations

The call came amid accusations between Russia and Ukraine of bombing civilian targets and energy infrastructure, although Putin had promised Trump hours earlier not to do so.. On the one hand, Kiev denounces that airstrikes on Tuesday night left the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in Donetsk province without power, also affected the power supply to the southern railways, and drones also hit two hospitals in the Sumi region, in the northeast. On the other hand, Moscow regrets that Ukrainian drones damaged an oil depot in Kavkazskaia, in Krasnodar, in the south of the country, and caused a fire.

Zelensky has blamed the Russian president for not acting on his words and reaffirmed his willingness to respect a ceasefire in energy infrastructure. "If the Russians don't attack our facilities, we will definitely not attack theirs," the Ukrainian president said from Helsinki. For its part, the Russian government criticizes the Ukrainian forces' attempt to "sabotage" the agreement with Trump with the attack on the oil depot and warns that it sees no "reciprocity" in their actions.

Early Wednesday afternoon, Ukraine and Russia also completed the prisoner exchange announced after the call between Trump and Putin. 175 soldiers from each side were transferred, in addition to 22 seriously wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Optimism in Russia

In Moscow, meanwhile, optimism reigns among those closest to the Kremlin following the conversation between Trump and Putin. Analysts consider the outcome positive because the goal was to move forward in restoring relations between Russia and the United States without having to accept the proposed 30-day ceasefire. For example, Fyodor Lukyanov of the magazine Russia in global affairs, believes that the conversation "did not bring any particularly good news for Kiev or Europe"; Ivan Timofeev, director of one of the think tanks The Russian Foreign Ministry spoke of "the continuation of a moderately positive dynamic." Vadim Kozyulin, a global security expert, admits that "there were no surprises and no significant changes in sentiment," but adds that "under current conditions, this can be considered the most important outcome."